In 2005 we published draft guidelines for reporting studies of quality improvement interventions as the initial step in a
consensus process for development of a more definitive version. The current article contains the revised version, which we
refer to as SQUIRE (Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence). We describe the consensus process, which included
informal feedback, formal written commentaries, input from publication guideline developers, review of the literature on the
epistemology of improvement and on methods for evaluating complex social programs, and a meeting of stakeholders for critical
review of the guidelines’ content and wording, followed by commentary on sequential versions from an expert consultant group.
Finally, we examine major differences between SQUIRE and the initial draft, and consider limitations of and unresolved questions
about SQUIRE; we also describe ancillary supporting documents and alternative versions under development, and plans for dissemination,
testing, and further development of SQUIRE.
KEY WORDS quality improvement - publication - standards
Members of the SQUIRE development group who provided input during the development process and endorsed the SQUIRE guidelines
are listed at the end of this article
Editors Note: The SQUIRE Guidelines are intended to advance research in quality improvement. Quality of care and patient safety
are at the heart of general internal medicine and consequently, the readers of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. A longer, more detailed explanation of the development of the SQUIRE consensus development effort appears in the October
supplement to the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care. Because of the importance of the topic and its relevance to our
readership, we are publishing this portion of that supplement.
An erratum to this article can be found at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0836-1